Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

Saturday (27th) is Small Business Saturday. We speak with Bill Herrle, Florida Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, about the day and how Florida's small businesses are doing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Communities all over Florida are observing the holidays with special events. We speak with Rick Craft at the St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department about events in his city.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Biden administration announced the release of millions of barrels of crude oil from the strategic reserve, in an effort to bring down gas prices. When will we see an effect at the pump? And has the White House emphasis on fighting climate change contributed to rising prices? We speak with Patrick De Haan, head of analysis for Gas Buddy.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holiday season can present some health concerns for older family members. Some are immunocomprised and concerned about COVID. There may be other physical issues such as hygiene, susceptibility to falls, or dementia. Allison Horsley with Synergy Home Care offers a few ideas to deal with the holidays and aging loved ones.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As season two of the Netflix documentary Tiger King is released, the lead detective investigating the disappearance of Carole Baskin's husband gives the media an update on his investigation into the case. Here's the news conference conducted on Zoom by the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office and Corporal Moises Garcia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expect Critical Race Theory to be a topic of discussion in the 2022 Florida legislative session. State Representative Randy Fine (R-Melbourne) is the House sponsor of a bill (sponsored in the Senate by Joe Gruters of Sarasota) that would ban what he identifies as ten components of CRT from being taught to employees or students in state government and universities.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Critical race theory is illegal in Florida schools, and there's a push to make it illegal in colleges and workplaces too. But a Tampa church is actually trying to teach CRT to high schoolers, using TikTok videos and online webinars. We speak to representatives of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida's first and only snow park, Snowcat Ridge, opens for its second season Wednesday, November 10th. We speak with marketing director Jon Pianki about what's new this year and what they learned from their first season.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting November 8, citizens of more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, the European Union, Brazil and China, will be able to travel to the US without special permission for the first time since the pandemic. They will be required to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test. St. Petersburg immigration lawyer Steve Maggi says this could benefit foreign investment, which is already a significant share of Florida's economy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal finance site Wallethub ranked 100 U.S. cities for veterans and placed Tampa at the top of the list. Three other cities -- Orlando, St. Petersburg and Jacksonville -- made the top 20. We speak with Wallethub senior analyst Jill Gonzalez about the survey.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.